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Patriots Alumni Club hosts youth football clinic at Crocker Field

By Matt Stewart, Correspondent

Updated:
06/06/2014 06:46:59 PM EDT

FITCHBURG -- Learning the fundamentals of football is exciting enough for local youth, but Fitchburg middle school students got the chance of a lifetime to learn the basics of the game from former New England Patriots' players.

The New England Patriots Alumni Club presented a one day "Football For You" clinic at Crocker Field on Thursday, where students ages 11 to 14 got the chance to run through a barrage of non-contact stations, learning the basics of every position that the game has to offer.

"Our mission is to ensure that kids have the ability to learn leadership, teamwork, and achievement through hard work, using the lessons they learn on the football field," Former New England Patriot Pete Brock said. "We try to support youth football in any way we can."

The Patriots Alumni Club receives funding from players, the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, the NFL Youth Football Fund, and local sponsors, and was able to provide students with a free clinic where the organization incurred all the expenses, including a nutritional dinner at the end and tasty snacks.

"(Brock) had a contact in Fitchburg, and he emailed the Superintendant," Fitchburg High Athletic Director Ray Cosenza said. "It's great, they provide food for the kids, T-shirts, and they had alumni working with our coaching staff. It is an extension of what we do to promote healthy activities, and promote the game of football too.

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The club selected Fitchburg among 16 other New England communities to host the "Football for You" clinic and in addition to former NFL players relied on Fitchburg High football coaches to run the stations as well. Some of the former Patriots involved include Steve Nelson, Harold Shaw, and three-time Super Bowl Champion Patrick Pass.

"We provide funding for youth football teams when they travel for competition," Brock said. "We provide equipment grants to high schools when people ask for them. But our major outreach is this "Football For You" program where we take football into the urban core. Why not bring football to Fitchburg, it's a football minded city, with a great history and why not bring this out here and amp it up a little bit."

Unlike most camps or clinics where students try out positions they are most suited for, the Football For You experience enabled students to try out every position, from passing and catching drills, to lineman drills, and coverage techniques. Fitchburg High head football coach Dan Walker thinks the format could help inspire future Red Raiders on the gridiron.

"It's good how they let kids get a taste of every position," Dan Walker said. "Maybe they can decide they like the sport, or a certain position, and it's good to see all the kids down here running around and having a good time."

Fitchburg resident Barry Walker had his son participate in the event, and they both seemed very excited about the possibility of working with former NFL players.

"My son was looking forward to the experience, especially getting the instruction from the professionals as well," Barry Walker said. "He was interested in seeing how different it was from the local coaches. The FHS coaches were doing a great job preparing them for their youth football seasons through other camps."

Brock contacted both Fitchburg Public Schools' Superintendant Andre Ravenelle and Cosenza to see if Fitchburg would be interested in hosting the event. Once the three met to discuss the possibility of the clinic it did not take long for Fitchburg's administration to give the green light to the idea. There appeared to be cohesion among the clinic's mission and that of existing programming and goals in the school system.

"When Brock approached us, it took like 30 seconds for us to say when do we start and how do we do this," Ravenelle said. "What I really liked about it was that it was a holistic view about exercise and discipline, a lot of good things sports can do for kids. We have Fuel Up to Play 60 in Fitchburg and Fun and Fit in Fitchburg, it just seemed like a good match."

Fuel Up to Play 60, a partnership with the NFL and Dairy Council to promote healthy eating, helped join forces with the Patriots Alumni at the event.

As the students participated in the clinic, parents got instruction from Fitchburg Schools' staff about how to promote healthy eating in their homes.

"Our strategy is increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables," Fitchburg Public Schools Nutritionist Hillary Standiford said. "They have to have a certain amount of those for it to be a reimbursable meal (for the city). So we're pushing that, and finding new ways to present fruits and vegetables to students. We have a lot of Fuel Up to Play 60 grants in the school, and it allows for students to be role models with their food."

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